


Black and White but a Friend All Over

by verboseDescription



Series: Spiders And Friends [2]
Category: Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018)
Genre: Found Family, Noir is depressed but he's doing his jewish best, Noir universe, brief mentions of past traumatic events, he's also the closest thing peni has to a dad but he doesnt know that yet, plot points based loosely on noir's comic especially his chapter in edge of the spiderverse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-26
Updated: 2019-01-26
Packaged: 2019-10-17 07:44:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,444
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17556212
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/verboseDescription/pseuds/verboseDescription
Summary: Peter doesn't know how Peni got to his world, or why she'd pick him to hang out with out of all the other spiders in the multiverse. But she's a kid, right? Might as well take her to a magic show. He's heard good things about this "Magnificent Mysterio" fella.Or: Spider-Man Noir thinks about his feelings, lets his secret slip, saves his ex from being kidnapped, and unofficially adopts Peni Parker, all in one day





	Black and White but a Friend All Over

**Author's Note:**

> This fic is dedicated to my dad. A couple years ago, he suggested we make egg cream and I told him it sounded like the most disgusting drink ever. Sorry Pops.  
> Notes on some of the stranger Noir slang at the end, as well as some relevant facts about the actual spider-noir comics

The year is 1939. Peter Benjamin Parker, also known by his alias “Spider-man” is halfway through a failed reconnaissance mission when he sees Peni Parker again. He’s in the middle of punching out a few brunos when he hears the unmistakable clang of flesh hitting metal and when he turns around, he sees Peni smiling at him, metal pipe in hand and a goon lying curled up on the floor.

“Hey, kid. It’s been a while,” Peter says, stepping over the now incapacitated men on the ground. She’s not wearing her uniform this time, instead opting for a simple black and white dress, one that fit very easily with the aesthetic of his time. A planned visit, then. But why? To see _him?_ “Looks like you’re a far ways from home. Come to send me a message from the future?”

“Maybe I just want to help,” Peni says. “Are you looking for the stuff they smuggled? He says it’s over there.”

Peni raises her arm, and both her and her spider point to the left.

“Well,” Peter says. “My _original_ plan was to tip off the police after confirming the location so that I wouldn’t have to worry about these shi— _hooligans_ running around my city peddling drugs, but that dimensional earthquake caught me a little off balance.”

“Is that what happened? It shouldn’t of,” Peni says. She doesn’t seem sorry. Mainly, she just looks excited. “I guess I should have run more tests.”

“Well, no use crying over it,” Peter sighs, webbing the men on the ground. “So, lead the way. And stay close.”

It’s strange, having someone tag along with him, especially someone as young as Peni. She’s older than she was the last time they met, but she’s still _so_ small. She has to skip to keep up with Peter’s steps, even after he’s slowed down for her. She’s not at all worried about where she is either. The building they’re in had been officially abandoned ages ago. Even though it had been cleaned out by villains using it as a hideout, it was still a mess. Broken glass, cockroaches, dust, cobwebs, even blood... But Peni barely batted an eye. She just kept on walking, shifting her arms so that her spider could get a better idea of where to go. Peni’s an odd sight, wearing her kiddy backpack in the midst of all this chaos. She looks far too used to this than any kid should. But maybe that was just the price of the job.

“Remind me again how a kid like you ended up with a telepathic spider?” Peter asks.

“He used to be with my dad,” Peni says. “Then my dad died, and he needed a new best friend. Does the spider that bit you ever talk to you? You said it was a god, right?”

“Only in my dreams,” Peter says. “I’m no emissary, and I’m no prophet. I was just in the right place to do the right thing, so he found a way to pay me back.”

“Oh.”

Spiders were not, by nature, a friendly species. The god Peter had met had no reason to be the exception. Peter had saved the spider, and so it returned the favor, in the same way a man might offer up a reward to the fella who saved his lost dog. It had valued freedom and life, and gave Peter a way to increase his own by changing his body. Not to make him more of a spider, but to make him more of the man he had wanted to be. A man with the power to save those in need. A man with the power to make his home the kind of place people wanted to be. And it didn’t even stop there—after his spider bite, Peter had noticed his voice slowly getting deeper, and his chest getting _much_ flatter. No matter how science-minded he claimed to be, it was an undeniable sign of divine intervention.

“We weren’t friends,” Peter continues. “But we have an understanding. You, though, you’ve got something special.”

Peni stops walking and lowers her head, trying to hide her face with her bangs. Even in the unlit room, Peter can see the smile forming on her face.

“I know. None of the other spiders can talk to any animal,” Peni says. “Except Spiders-man, but he’s different. So it’s just me! All alone. Anyways, we’re here.”

Sure enough, the two had come across a room with several crates. Peter sighs. What a hassle.

“You shouldn’t feel bad because you’ve got something we don’t,” Peter tells her. “I think that ability of yours is aces. That spider isn’t just your friend—it’s your partner. Your back-up. I think that’s plenty special.”

“But none of you guys have a spider,” Peni says. “You can all do these really cool things. And I’m just a girl with a robot, talking to her spider.”

“Speaking as someone without a robot or a spider,” Peter says. “I think you’re plenty swell yourself.”

Peni smiles.

“So what now?”

“Well, I’m going to web them to the ceiling.”

_“What?”_

“I don’t want anyone to use them, and I don’t want to keep them, so I’m going to web them to the ceiling. I’ll find a copper on my way home and point him in the right direction. Or let him chase me back. But first I’m going to web them to the ceiling.”

“Do you need… help?” Peni asks hesitantly. They both know this isn’t the smartest plan.

“I’ll handle it,” Peter tells her.

And he does.

 

Peter had already promised to meet up with Mary Jane, and wasn’t going to let an unexpected visitor change his plan. After making Peni promise not to clue the girl in on any spider-related activity, the two hot tailed it to the New York World’s Fair.

The thing about bumping gums with Mary Jane Watson is that Peter Parker turns into a bumbling fool the moment he sees her. At first, he thought it was love. That he was just some crumb dizzy with a dame he’d never have, but there’s nothing romantic about it. She’s just on his mind sometimes. Of course, right now, what he’s mostly thinking about is that it’s his first time out of his suit all week and the thought of being Peter Parker again is making some unnamed emotion rise up in his throat. He really hopes he doesn’t through up on her shoes.

The thing is, he still wants to meet with her, even though it feels like his skin is crawling with spiders, because Mary Jane’s like _him._ She didn’t think even two seconds before going to Spain and joining the war as a nurse and when she came home, joed to hell with all the violence in the world, she hitched up her sleeves and entered a soup kitchen and demanded to be made a volunteer.

The world was a miserable place, but Mary Jane Watson would fight through it all with a smile. No matter what was going on in her life, she’d never walk by a person in need without making sure she did everything she could to help.

She never really talked about Spain, but Peter never asked. They were alike in that way, too. No point talking about the past when tomorrow’d bring you something even sadder.

“Hey Tiger,” Mary Jane says, giving Peter a wink. “Who’s the kid?”

“Daughter of a fella I interviewed,” Peter says easily. “Parents are out of town, so she’s sticking with me.”

“Isn’t that sweet?” Mary Jane says. “You’re cute as a bug’s ear, kid. Having fun with this jellybean reporter?”

“He helped me with my homework,” Peni says. She looks unsure, no doubt unused to slang that was centuries older than she was.

“Aw, Tiger,” Mary Jane says, her voice full of affection as she ruffles Peter’s hair.

“I didn’t do anything special,” Peter tells her. “Sorry I didn’t tell you she was coming. It was kind of last minute.”

“I understand,” Mary Jane says. She’s looking at Peni out of the corner of her eye, trying to figure out why exactly the girl seemed so out of place without openly gawking at the girl, though Noir doubts Peni would mind if she did. The kid was eying Mary Jane up too, after all. “Still up to see Mysterio in action?”

 _“Mysterio?”_ Peni repeats.

“Never heard of The Magnificent Mysterio?” Peter asks. “I’m not much for hocus pocus, but Mary Jane thinks I need some magic in my life.”

“We all do,” Mary Jane insists. “Ready to split?”

 

Peni’s eyes sparkle with joy as she wanders around the fair. She’s darting around, looking at the different Salvador Dali paintings on display and gasping every time a new exhibit catches her eye.

“After the magic show, we can stay and look at this stuff, right?” Peni asks.

“I’ve got no other plans,” Peter tells her. Peni smiles at him.

“I’m sorry I thought you were boring and old,” she tells him. “This place is actually really cool.”

“You never told me you…,” Peter begins, but Peni’s already rolling away on her wheeled shoes.

“Don’t go too far!” Peter calls after her. Mary Jane laughs.

“You sound like you’re her father,” she says. Peter groans. He’s about to say something about not wanting kids, but a sharp jab from his spider-sense cuts him off. Mary Jane gives him a concerned look.

“It’s fine,” Peter insists. “Just a headache.”

He can hear the whispering of his spider-god, just as incomprehensible as always. The noise gets louder the closer he gets to the magician’s tent. Ahead of him, Peni freezes and tilts her head. Peter can see her spider crawl out from under her sleeve. They must have sensed it too.

“Why don’t you save us a seat, kid?” Peter tells her. “Scope the place out. I’ll buy us some snacks.”

Peni nods, distracted.

“I’m going to get myself something to drink,” Mary Jane says. “Will you be okay alone, Peni?”

“Don’t worry, ma’am,” Peni says. She’s looking right at Peter. “I can take care of myself.”

Peter grins at her. He doesn’t doubt that she’ll be a formidable foe, even without her strange automaton.

He leads Mary Jane away from the tent as Peni lets her spider crawl into her arms.

“I’m not sure you know where you’re going,” Mary Jane says as they walk away.

“You’re doubting my sense of direction?” Peter challenges, but Mary Jane just shakes her head fondly and pushes him in the right direction. When they finally do find somewhere that sells food, Mary Jane decides she wants an egg cream, and that’s not something you take with you anywhere; the carbonation’ll get flat before you even get to the door.

“The café’s just right there, Peter,” Mary Jane tells him. “I’ll drink up, and we’ll buy Peni some popcorn and be back in time for the show.”

Something about what she says sets off his spider-sense, but he ignores it.

“Five minutes,” Peter says.

“That’s as long as it’ll last, anyways,” Mary Jane says, smiling.

 

As soon as they’re alone with their egg cream, Mary Jane asks him the one question he’s been trying to avoid answering.

“Are you Spider-man?”

Peter chokes on his drink and Mary Jane rushes over to smack his back.

“Why would you think that?” Peter wheezes.

“You’re never here,” Mary Jane says. “I know you’re busy with college but sometimes when we’re together, I see you looking off into the distance and it’s like you’re in another world. I know what war does to people, Peter, and lately you’ve just been looking like you’re always coming back from a brawl.”

“I’m joed for sure,” Peter says. “But it’s just some back to school blues. Investigating’s nothing like reading textbooks. I’m just…”

“Peter,” Mary Jane says softly. “When have you ever been able to lie to me? I’m no reporter, but I can add up the facts. I barely ever see you, but I keep hearing about that darn Spider-man busting your cases wide open And after what happened with Doctor Octavius, I’ve been hearing about Spider-man closing in on a whole lot of Nazis, like maybe—maybe he’s got some kind of personal investment. And I’m not just talking about what happened to Robert, Peter. It feels like… Like you don’t think it’s safe to be Peter Parker anymore. And I’m not going to tell you you’re wrong, but not everyone wants to hurt you. There are people here who love you. Can’t you imagine being safe for just one day?”

There’s a lot pause as Peter finishes his egg cream. Mary Jane waits, looking at him, her blinkers wide and caring. _This_ was why he didn’t want to tell her. She always wanted to help, but how the hell was she going to do that? Peter still doesn’t know what the hell happened to her in Spain, but she wants _him_ to spill? Fine. Here it was.

Sure, he was tired. _Sure,_ he was fighting. But he couldn’t stop. He wouldn’t, not until he fitted every single one of the men who let Octavius conduct his twisted experiments with their very own Chicago overcoat. He wouldn’t do it again. He couldn’t. Wouldn’t be the one to lead someone home to their folks, and see the tears in their eyes knowing that their son had still be taken from them in a way they could never get back. He couldn’t—he wouldn’t—Robert was his _friend,_ and Octavius had just—like he wasn’t even _human---_ Peter takes a deep breath, and answers Mary Jane.

“Maybe you should take your own advice.”

 

With the help of her BPSFF (Best Physic Spider Friend Forever), it’s really easy for Peni to find a back entrance to Mysterio’s tent. She lets her SP//der Spider go in first, using their physic link to see the tent from his eyes. There’s a man in a silvery mask that Peni recognizes from a nearby poster as Mysterio and a woman next to him she assumes is his assistant.

“Are you sure this’ll work?” the assistant asks. “If the Spider-man doesn’t show, the bait ain’t gonna to do us no good.”

“The man’s got a six sense for ruining plans,” Mysterio insists. “One way or another, he will find his way here. And that’s when we strike.”

“He better,” the assistant says. “You don’t pay me enough to get on Kingpen’s bad side.”

Outside the tent, Peni rolls her eyes. Of _course_ it was Kingpen.

 _“They have a hostage,”_ Spider tells her. Peni loves it when he actually talks to her, even about things like this. It was a rare gift. _“A woman in a mask. They’re not going to leave her alone.”_

Spider sends an image to her, and Peni sees a woman in an evening gown with her hands chained. She’s wearing a white mask with two indents upward on either side that remind Peni of ears. Going off of what she knows of the other Peters she’s… Felicia, maybe? There can’t be that many cat-based people in his life, and Black Cat seemed like the kind of morally gray woman that’d fit right in to Peter’s monochromatic world.

If Mysterio won’t leave until the performance starts, Peni will just have to free the woman then. They won’t expect Peter to have a friend with him. She can work with that.

Spider sends her a mental image of their world’s Mysterio, a man who used his ship to infect the people of her New York with hallucinogenic gas. Right. That was something she’d have to prepare for too. Good thing she brought her backpack with her.

Confidant in their findings, Peni calls for Spider and the two of them go to find seats in the audience. Peter and MJ arrive a few minutes later looking more than a little uncomfortable, but Peni’s too busy adjusting her air filtration mask to ask why.

“I think Spider-man’s supposed to show up,” Peni says casually as Mary Jane hands her some popcorn. “I heard somebody say something about a surprise guest.”

“Spider-man?” Mary Jane says. She looks at Peter, who frowns and shakes his head.

“I made this,” Peni says, pushing her mask into Peter’s hands. “It filters the air. Isn’t that cool?”

Before Peter can respond, a loud boom comes from the stage.

 _“Ladies and Gentlemen!”_ a voice calls. _“Welcome to the show!”_

A cloud of green smoke fills the air as the curtains rise and—wait, a cloud of _green?_

The man in the mask stands in front of the stage. Or is he inside some sort of clear sphere, filled with water. Peni squints her eyes, but she can’t focus. Onstage, the assistant is talking, something about a death defying stunt—will he make it, will he drown? He’s in chains, Peni thinks, but it doesn’t look like he’s getting out anytime soon, and Peni thinks she’s proven right once something electrocutes the glass but—there he is. Mysterio’s standing next to his assistant, unharmed.

It’s like he never went in at all.

The crowd goes wild.

“How do you think he did that?” Mary Jane asks, astonished. “Smoke and mirrors?”

“Oh, there’s smoke alright,” Peni mutters.

“Thank you! Thank you, everyone,” Mysterio says with a bow. “And for my next trick… we have a special guest.”

His assistant leaves the stage and comes back with the masked woman. They tie her chains up on some podium Peni can’t really see, letting the woman dangle in the air.

“First, I must ask the crowd: does anyone know where Spider-man is?” Mysterio asks. “The spirit of Anansi craves blood, and if Spider-man does not step in and take this poor woman’s place, we will have no choice but to sacrifice her instead.”

“He’s not really expecting Spider-man,” Mary Jane says. “Is he?”

“He is,” Peter says, standing up. “Excuse me.”

“Don’t forget my goober!” Peni calls after him. Mary Jane looks at her strangely. Maybe it’s Peni’s imagination, but it feels like she _knows_ something. Peni hopes its not her fault—her color hadn’t faded away completely, but she thought she blended in well enough with the world around her.

“Aren’t you going with him?” Mary Jane asks. Peni blinks in surprise.

“I’ve got something else in mind,” Peni says with a grin. She hands Mary Jane the rest of her popcorn. “Hold this, please.”

 

Peter doesn’t know what color is surrounding him, but he does know it’s deadly, and it _shouldn’t be here._ With Peni’s gizmo under his mask he can breathe easy, but he still can’t see Mysterio through all the fog.

“Give up, Spider-man,” Mysterio calls. “The people came to see a sacrifice.”

“Everyone loves a twist,” Peter says, swinging his fist. Mysterio lets out an “oof,” and for a second, Peter thinks he’s got him before his spider-sense goes off and he remembers the assistant, who’s oh that’s right, about to hit him with the crowbar. Her hit doesn’t connect, but he’s too busy blocking her to deflect from Mysterio, who’s already knocking him on the ground.

“Grab his drumstricks,” Mysterio demands. The woman grabs his legs, and Mysterio pulls out a syringe and quickly tries to take some blood from his arm.

“Blood for the spider-god!” Mysterio declares, breathing heavily as Peter struggles to his feet behind him. “Good Spider-man, will you let Anansi take you to your final rest?”

“Like hell he will,” a woman says. Peter’s eyes go wide behind his mask.

“Felicia?”

And it really is her. No longer chained, but standing next to Peni, who looks ready for action—and damn, does he love that kid. One of Felicia’s hands is on her hips and the other is holding onto the assistant’s crowbar. The assistant is nowhere to be found.

“Spider-man,” Felicia says. Her voice is angry, but there’s a familiarity to it. Peter’s heart soars. He really missed her. “This man killed one of my best barmen. I’d really like to make him pay.”

“I think the show’s over, doll,” Peter says. Felicia shakes her head.

“You’re forgetting one thing,” Felicia tells him. Before Peter can reply, she smacks Mysterio in the stomach, making him drop the syringe. Felicia crushes it with her heel. _“Now_ the show’s done. You can take me home now, handsome.”

Felicia delicately offers him her hand and Peter helps her off the stage. Mary Jane’s there, standing in front of the stage with Peni’s popcorn. She looks at the two of them and raises an eyebrow.

“Fancy a walk, Miss Watson?” Peter asks. Mary Jane laughs.

“I suppose I do.”

 

Peni’s glad to hear there’s no more secrets now, because she had a _lot_ to say to Peter and it’s high time she got to saying it.

“So you’re from another world, huh?” Felicia says. “Now that’s something new.”

“It sounds magical,” Mary Jane says and, in that moment, Peni knows that MJ’s always believed in the impossible, even before she ever got tied up with spider powers or illusionists or whatever else this world has to offer. She believes in hope, Peni thinks. That’s why Peter always likes her.

“There’s this goober another Spider-man made, and he came to me because—well that’s not super important, he’ll probably talk to you about it too—but I wanted to add like, a way to communicate with anyone who had one,” Peni explains, fishing out the watch-like device from her backpack. “I was going to come as soon as I finished, but it was really hard to get here. Like, _really_ hard. Miguel says it’s because I’m from the future, my atoms don’t want to come this far in the past. It was easier to see Miles and Gwen because I already got to Miles once, and I could just make their goobers absorb radiation if they need to be recharged, because their spider bites—uh, it’s not super important. I just wanted to say, I’m sorry I took so long. I don’t know how long it’s been for you, but…”

“Six years,” Peter tells her and Peni feels tears welling up in her eyes.

“It’s only been two and a half for me,” she tells him, trying to blink back her emotions. “Our worlds aren’t lined up exactly, so I guess I shouldn’t be surprised, but…”

But he had to go six years without the rest of them. Peni found Gwen in a _month,_ and when the two of them portaled over to Miles he only had to go _days_ without them. Peter B. and his pig self didn’t take too long to find after that, but this Peter was the one she really missed. She knows that Miles and Gwen have Peter Parkers in their worlds, but when Peni thinks of Peter, she thinks of _him;_ a man in black and white who towers over her, who sounds like he’s seen every terrible thing the world has to offer, but still offers to pick her up and put her on his shoulders. She thinks of warmth, and of her father, who spent more time on his robot than he ever did with Peni, and how all she ever wanted him to be was _present._ Sometimes, Peter looks her in the eyes and ruffles her hair and Peni thinks she’s never missed her dad more and less in those moments.

To Miles, this Peter is Inkblot. All harsh lines and no color, like a fountain of ink cascading onto a page. To Miles, Peter means _hero_ , it means _sacrifice_ but it also means _brother_ , and it means Peter B., who refuses to step out of Miles’ life because spiders got to stick together, you know?

To Gwen, this Peter is Detective. A name fondly given by a policeman’s daughter, a girl who evades the law, but still believes in those who enforce it. To Gwen, Peter means _lizard._ A boy trying his hands at an experiment doomed to fail, a boy who dies holding her hand, whispering, _“I just wanted to be a hero this one time. I just wanted to help you.”_

But Gwen and Miles aren’t Parkers. To them, Peter just means _friend._ They don’t know what it’s like to fall into a new world where the only one who feels just as out of place as you is a man with your name. Peni’s not sure if she could put into words how much that means to her. Even before her dad died, all she ever had was her aunt and uncle. And then she met Peter. And Peter. And Peter.

Peni likes the feeling of being a part of something bigger. Of being a part of a family that transcended both space and time. And she wanted to share that with _her_ Peter, the Peter holding her hand as they walked through town.

“I’m glad you didn’t give up,” Peter tells her. “Three years is a lot of time for a kid.”

“How does this watch work, anyhow?” Felicia asks.

“You can’t have it,” Peter says flatly.

“It’s connected to a bunch of different worlds,” Peni explains. “It takes a lot of time to find a specific dimension, but it’s like a radio dial. You’ve got to search through the static to find something specific. But if you find another person wearing one, you can sync it up, so you’ll be able to just kind of pull up their name and pop on by anytime! And there’s a groupchat, which is uh, like a lot of people writing to each other at once, but you get the messages right away!”

“Now _that’s_ nifty,” Mary Jane notes.

“Is that why you came here?” Peter asks. “So we could be penpals?”

“I wanted to see you again,” Peni answers honestly. “I missed you. Plus, like _everyone_ else has a goober and I didn’t want you to feel left out.”

“That’s very kind of you,” Felicia says. “Now, if you excuse me, it’s time for me to go home. And no, Spider-man, you may _not_ come with me.”

Peni had almost forgotten he hadn’t changed out of his suit.

“Last I checked, _you_ were generally the one doing the invitin’, doll,” Peter snorts. MJ puts a hand over her mouth.

“You and her…?” Mary Jane says, clearly excited. “Were you… pitching woo?”

“Not anymore,” Felicia says shortly. “We broke things off after my little accident.”

Felicia turns to Peni and puts a hand on her mask.

“I’m not sure how things work in your world, kid,” Felicia tells her. “But here, there’s consequences to knowing men with strange powers. You’d do best to remember them. You too, Miss Watson.”

Felicia takes off her mask and Peni can see the cross work of scars on her face. There’s hardly a spot of flesh without scar tissue. Behind her, Mary Jane lets out a small gasp. It’s gruesome, but looking at it Peni just feels… tired. In her world, everyone at her school _knew_ she was SP//dr. She wasn’t allowed to tell anyone, and she wasn’t allowed to even acknowledge the rumors, but that didn’t change the truth. So she didn’t talk to anyone, because what was the point? They’d never know her, not really, and she wasn’t allowed to put in the effort to get them to understand. She didn’t want Felicia to be confirmation that her aunt was right, that it really was better to be a friendless loser than interact with anyone her own age. It hadn’t even been hard to avoid her classmates—they did most of the work for her—but Addy had known, and she didn’t die because of _Peni._ But maybe, if Peni let them be friends, VEN#m wouldn’t have…

“Miss Hardy?” Peni says. “I think you have very beautiful eyes.”

Felicia freezes. She hadn’t been expecting that and something about the sudden vulnerability in her face makes Peni feel vindicated.

“The kid’s right,” Peter agrees. “You’re a real tomato, Felicia, and I’m sorry for how things went down. I’ll never stop being sorry—I shouldn’t’ve dragged you into this.”

“Go back to your man, Peter,” Felicia says softly. “You and I have been done for a long time.”

“Maybe you don’t want to talk with him,” Mary Jane says uncertainly. “But what about me? I’m going to need some tips if I’m going to keep being Spider-man’s friend. And I’d really like to learn from the best.”

Felicia tilts her head and watches as Mary Jane reaches out her hand.

“May I come home with you, Miss Hardy?” Mary Jane asks. “It’s so nice to know I’m not alone in this strange new world.”

Slowly, Felicia takes the hand.

“It’d love to have you.”

 

 

Sometimes, when a terrible thing happens, all you see is the wounds. You see the blood gushing and know that it’ll never really heal, and the best you can hope for is for it to scar beautifully. That maybe if you can’t appreciate your pain, at least the world won’t ask, and it’ll only be your tragedy. You get to decide what to say about it. You get to be the one that wraps the bandages and you get to be the one to decide if they still hurt. The world doesn’t get to look at you and think, _how sad, how tragic,_ it is that someone like you exists.

But the thing is, you can still see the scars. And you can’t forget how _badly_ they once hurt. Sometimes, its hard to remember that you’re more than all that hurt.

Peni’s teaching Peter how to use the goober. The technology’s new to him, but he’ll get the hang of it. He adapts well. Always has. Sometimes, he forgets that about himself.

“Hey,” Peter says. “Maybe this is a strange thing to ask but—do you think you’re me? I mean, all the other Parkers we met were Peters, but… Well, I changed my name. Didn’t used to be Peter.”

“I think I’m the closest thing my dimension has to a Peter Parker,” Peni says thoughtfully. “But I don’t know if that makes me you. I mean, there’s a lot of big differences. You’re not a school girl, for one thing.”

“I was, once,” Peter says. “Kind of.”

“Well… even if I went back to that time somehow, we still wouldn’t be identical,” Peni points out. “And I think it’s more like… twins. If one of them is raised here in New York and the other is _alllll_ the way in Japan, they’re going to be a little different. But they’ll probably still look alike. And they’ll still be family. I think that’s the important part.”

“So we’re all just the chosen children of some cosmic spider,” Peter says. “Which makes you my kid sister.”

“I’m okay with that,” Peni tells him. “You’d be a good big brother.”

The way she says it sets off his spider-sense. Not out of danger, but out of the same kind of familiarity he felt when he first saw her. Calling Peni his sister just feels… right.

Wait. Huh.

“Hey, can you hear that?” Peter asks.

“Hear what?” Peni asks with a frown. Peter wrinkles his brow.

“I think it’s my spider-sense..,” he says. “Used to be, it sounded like a bunch of different platters playing in my head all at once. Couldn’t make heads or tails of it, only that it got louder when I was in danger. But now… It sounds…”

“Like what?”

“It sounds beautiful,” Peter breathes. “It’s gone now, but it was _Hebrew._ I could hear it. How the hell could I not hear that before?”

Peni gives him a small smile that slowly creeps up her face.

“I _knew_ you were like me,” she says softly. Peter returns the smile and ruffles her hair.

“I always have been,” he tells her. “We’re family.”

“Can I tell you something?” Peni asks. “Every time you hear it, it’ll sound even more beautiful than the last. And every time you’ll think that this has to be it, that the sound of a spider can’t get any prettier than that. But it does. Because when you hear it, you know somebody’s looking out for you. Because they love you, and they want you safe. And then you know… you’re not alone. And you’re never, ever going to be alone again.

And no one can take that away from you."

 

 

 

"I'm glad you're here, Peni. I love you."

 

"I love you, too, Peter. I missed you."

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Fun fact: Noir refers to Peni and him as "chosen people," because he's jewish! that's how we talk about ourselves, sometimes. I really wanted to write this because I felt like people kind of forget that, when you have him punching faceless Nazis, so this is the specifically Jewish experience of punching Nazis. I hope you liked it! That was one of the reasons I wanted Peter to have a spider that "talks" to him. I saw a theory that his spider was actually venom, which is cool, but either way, I wanted kind of a sense of familiarity between them. Noir just wasn't open to hearing it before. He's got a hard time believing anyone wants to be with him willingly. Even spiders. And yeah, Peter's trans. Every Peter is trans and bi, because this is MY spider universe now. Also, the boyfriend Felicia makes a reference to is Johnny Storm. I couldn't fit it in there, but I think they'd be a fun match.  
> Also; i really wanted to have Mysterio refer to Noir's legs as get away sticks. I think that's a really funny phrase and im sad we don't use it more often.
> 
> Stuff to know:  
> References to "Robert" is from Noir's comic, "Eyes Without A Face." I read it, so you don't have to. There are lobotomies, and Octavius is a Nazi. That's ALL you need to know. I promise. Felicia's face is like that because she was tortured by her crime boyfriend after he found out she slept with spider-man. He wanted her to give up his secret identity, but Felicia refused. She also hasn't spoken to Peter since then, until she gets captured by Mysterio (which DOES happen in the year I said it does). Originally, Peter went to the World's Fair with MJ and May, and then Mysterio put in a news ad about how he kidnapped Felicia. Mysterio also knocks Noir unconscious and tries to drown him. They do definitely take his blood though, and Felicia is the one who stops them. I thought this version flowed better for a fic, especially since we now had Peni.  
> Peni really does face Mysterio. I think he calls himself a "big fan," and a lot of kids have probably caught on that she's SP//der, since Daredevil took her out of school. Addy is Addy Brock, pilot of the VEN#m unit which malfunctions and kills both her and May, who tried to save Addy.
> 
> Slang notes:  
> Bumping gums: talking about nothing. like shooting the breeze, etc  
> Crumb, jelly bean: loser  
> Dizzy with a dame: in love with a girl  
> Joed: tired  
> Chicago Overcoat: coffin  
> Tomato: beautiful girl. yes, really, i promise.  
> Pitching woo: having sex. MJ's really confident that Peni doesn't understand that slang. She also just REALLY had to ask
> 
> Sorry for saying so much in the notes! I just really like spider-man


End file.
